Bogut back in time for Spurs

MILWAUKEE — After missing the past four games while dealing with a family emergency in his native Australia, Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut will make his return tonight against the Spurs.

Bogut addressed his teammates before the Bucks’ morning shootaround at the Bradley Center. Afterward, he declined to specify the nature of his emergency, except to say it involved an illness and the hospitalization of a family member.

“When things like this happen, you realize I don’t care about my job or my sport or my profession at that crucial moment,” Bogut said. “Like most people, you let go of all that, go and address what you need to address and come back.”

Bogut left the team just before a Jan. 3 game in Utah, and the Bucks have clearly missed him. Milwaukee, in the midst of a five-game losing streak, dropped four in a row without their 7-footer.

In four games this season, Bogut is averaging 14.3 points and a team-high 10 rebounds and 1.75 blocks per game.

Though there’s no telling how in-sync Bogut might be tonight after spending a week in foreign turmoil, he says he hopes to use basketball as a respite.

“My temple is kind of the basketball court,” Bogut said.

“The good thing is the NBA season is a busy season, and you really have no choice but to focus on things at hand,” Bogut said. “It’s one of those issues that is tough to swallow, tough to see and tough to talk about. You’ve just got to get through it.”